Gregor Mendel, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas’ Abbey in Brno, is known to students around the world as the father of genetics. The City of Brno has announced plans to erect a statue to commemorate this pioneer of the study of heredity and modern genetics. Photo: Park Mendlovo náměstí. Credit: K. Xagorari.
Brno, Aug 6 (BD) – One of Brno’s squares bears his name – Mendlovo náměstí – and now the city plans to install a statue of the famous Brno scientist there in 2022, 200 years since his birth. “In the summer of 2022 we will celebrate 200 years since the birth of this great figure from Brno. It is on this occasion that we want to reveal a new statue of Mendel in the park on the square. We will announce a contest for its visual appearance,” said Brno Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) last week.
The statue of Mendel will be created as part of the “Sculpture for Brno” project. Several works commemorating personalities connected with Brno have already been introduced – a sculpture of writer Jan Skácel, the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the inventor Thomas Alva Edison. In addition to Mendel, statues of architect Adolf Loos, Father Martin Středa and Marie Restituta, a nurse executed by the Nazis in 1943, are to be installed.
Get the news first! Sign up for free to our daily newsletter here. Top stories of the day in your mailbox every morning.
